


Your Move

by Marks



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Future Fic, Kissing, M/M, mention of injury but nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 01:25:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13225278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marks/pseuds/Marks
Summary: Tajima has his hands jammed deep into his pockets and he’s leaning heavily on his right side. Other than that, he’s the same old Tajima: same grin, same dorky t-shirts, same fierce look in his eyes, challenging Hanai even when Hanai’s not sure what the challenge is.





	Your Move

“So, I work at a shop. Let me give you directions and, if you want, you could come visit me if you have some free time.”

Tajima has his hands jammed deep into his pockets and he’s leaning heavily on his right side. Other than that, he’s the same old Tajima: same grin, same dorky t-shirts, same fierce look in his eyes, challenging Hanai even when Hanai’s not sure what the challenge is.  

“I’ve got time,” Hanai says. After all, he’s got nothing but time now. He goes to dig through his pockets for his phone, but Tajima grabs him by the wrist, a felt-tip pen trapped between his teeth. Hanai tries protesting, but Tajima ignores him; instead, he pulls the pen out of his mouth and starts writing. The strokes of the pen against Hanai’s palm tickle and Tajima’s fingers squeezed tight around his wrist are impossible to ignore, but he tries hard to remain stoic.  

Tajima finally lets go and taps on a scrawled address on Hanai’s palm. “That’s the store,” he says, and then taps again, this time at the phone number written below that. “And that’s me. Text any time, no calls after ten because I don’t want to bug my parents. See you soon, okay?” 

Hanai nods and Tajima waves as he turns around and walks in the opposite direction. The limp’s still there, but only if someone knows where to look for it. 

This is so much like high school, Tajima leaving him feeling equal parts overwhelmed and bewildered, but Hanai clenches his hand into a fist before he does the sensible thing and saves Tajima’s info to his contacts.  

* 

The thing is, Hanai really never planned on baseball forever. He hadn’t even planned on joining up in high school, even though he’d been captain of his middle school team, too, and Nishiura’s real star had always been Tajima. But then Tajima got that injury at the beginning of third year, and Hanai got recruited by a big baseball university at the end of third year, so Hanai just… kept going. 

All along, Hanai had known that was going to be the end of the line for him. The Majors are only looking for the best of the best, and though Hanai is always – _always_ – reliable, he also isn’t a star. So now he’s done with university and back home and, frankly, he has no idea what to do next. Despite his mother’s histrionics, he knows his parents don’t really mind him being at home, but being a NEET has never been part of the plan. 

Late that night, Hanai lies on his bed and scrolls through his contacts until he finds Tajima’s name. Tajima hadn’t even asked for his number, like he’s daring Hanai. _Your move,_ he can hear Tajima saying, inside his own head. 

Tajima had said that to him once before, right before Hanai went away to school. Hanai had spent way too much time ignoring Tajima after he had to quit, too filled with guilt over still getting to play, over taking the team to Koshien without Tajima there, too. And one winter day, Tajima cornered him, inviting himself over to Hanai’s house. 

Which led to that happening regularly. 

Which led to Hanai realizing that his admiration for Tajima didn’t just stop at his baseball. 

Which led to Hanai realizing, honestly, a whole big lot of things about himself. 

Which had been when Tajima kissed him. 

Hanai had blown that move in a spectacular way, panicking and running off to university while leaving everything unresolved. He stares at Tajima’s name some more and takes a deep breath. Maybe if he’s honest with himself, Hanai can admit he has some idea of what he’d like to do next. 

He sends a message: _When are you working next?_

_tmrw all afternoon_ , Tajima replies, pretty much immediately even though it’s late, like he’d been waiting all night to hear from Hanai. Maybe he had been. The idea makes Hanai shiver. 

_See you tomorrow afternoon, then._ Hanai hesitates, then adds, _Get a good night’s sleep._

_ill try!!!!!_ Tajima replies and all the exclamation points make Hanai smile at his screen. 

Hanai tries to sleep, too, but there’s a knot of giddy anticipation tying up his stomach and it’s hard to drift off while chanting a mantra of _don’t fuck this up, don’t fuck this up, don’t fuck this up again_. 

* 

It isn’t hard to find where Tajima works, right near their old high school. It used to be an electronics shop and now it’s a sporting goods store and something Tajima failed to mention yesterday is that he _owns it_. Hanai’s almost knocked breathless over how far ahead of him Tajima is and he feels a wave of frozen panic wash through him, but he forces himself through the door anyway. 

After all, it’s his move. 

The store is empty. Tajima’s behind the counter, chewing gum and reading a magazine. He lifts his head when Hanai walks in and his entire face lights up. Hanai is breathless again as he comes closer. Then he notices what Tajima’s reading. 

“Can’t you get arrested, reading that in public?” Hanai asks. 

“What, the dirty magazine?” Tajima asks cheerfully. He waves his hand in front of his face. “Nah. No one cares.” As if showing off how much he personally doesn’t care, he stands up straight and throws the magazine over his shoulder. “But you’re more interesting anyway.” 

Hanai can feel himself blushing. That’s something else Hanai envies about Tajima; he’s always able to say things that should be difficult and make them seem easy. 

“I’m glad you’re here,” Tajima says, still cheerful. “I was pretty sure you’d just blow me off.” 

Things like that. And that stings, but Hanai deserves it. He sucks in a deep breath and screws up all his courage. “I’m not the same person,” he says. “I messed up pretty badly back then, huh?” 

Tajima nods. “Royally. You’re lucky I’m such a forgiving person.” 

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Hanai says. He clears his throat. “I— I’ve spent a lot of time – years – thinking about what I could have done differently.” 

“Go on,” Tajima encourages. 

“And I’ve mostly been thinking about this.” Hanai puts his hands on either side of Tajima’s face and leans in, hesitating for a moment when their mouths are nearly touching. Tajima isn’t pulling away. Tajima has his eyes closed and his lips parted, waiting, anticipating, like he’s spent years thinking about this, too. Maybe he has – Hanai selfishly hopes so and that’s the last thought he has before he kisses Tajima. 

It’s warm, sweet, and too brief, but when they pull apart, Tajima grins widely and Hanai’s toes tingle. He’s not waiting another three years before he does that again, no way. 

Hanai clears his throat. “Well –“ 

“This is the part where you ask me out,” Tajima says in a stage whisper. 

“I was getting there!” Hanai says indignantly. He tries to frown, but his face just won’t go that way right now and he realizes it’s because he’s too happy. “When can I pick you up for dinner?”


End file.
